Junior Giants have big-league day in the Bay

SAN FRANCISCO - Two local Junior Giants players got to toe the lush green grass of a major league ballpark when they were honored as part of pregame festivities Sunday during the Junior Giants Day celebration at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Oscar Rodriguez Jr. of Los Molinos and Skye Powell of Hamilton City were among the few dozen Willie Mac Award winners announced during the on-field ceremony. The award is named for Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey, who played for the Giants in the 1960s and 1970s. The winners were selected by league organizers for exceptional sportsmanship, attitude and leadership qualities exhibited during their Junior Giants baseball season.

The Junior Giants program is a noncompetitive baseball league sponsored by the Giants Community Fund, in which fundamentals of the game are taught along with the program's Four Bases of Character Development (leadership, teamwork, confidence, integrity).

The Junior Giants have local programs in: Hamilton City, Los Molinos, Willows, Corning, Rancho Tehama, Cottonwood and Red Bluff.

Players from the Rancho Tehama and Hamilton City leagues were slated to parade around the field among 4,000 Junior Giants from throughout California. Coaches and players from each league were also given free tickets to attend the game.

Ayden Vance of Los Molinos was excited because two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum was on the mound for the Giants. For siblings Jennifer, Olivia, and Julia Silvera, participating in Junior Giants Day meant attending their first-ever San Francisco Giants game.

Other Junior Giants were selected to sing the Star-Spangled Banner before the game, announce the lineups during the third inning, and sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

In addition, nine players from the Reedley league took the field prior to the game with Giants starters and received autographs.

The Giants were defeated by the San Diego Padres, 8-2, but it was an unforgettable experience for the thousands of Junior Giants in attendance. Each received a jersey commemorating the event, resulting in colorful waves of orange adorning the stands throughout the stadium.

Contact Paul Gadbois at 824-1036.